


You Are My Hiraeth

by rndmcrpydnt



Series: Love, Gen [2]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Angst, Epistolary, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, No Beta We Die Like Byakuya, Period-Typical Homophobia, Reincarnation, Short Chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 6,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24394462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rndmcrpydnt/pseuds/rndmcrpydnt
Summary: Fleur, upon her grandmother's dying wish, travels to the French alps and learns of her great-great-grandfather's long journey home.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu
Series: Love, Gen [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766815
Comments: 24
Kudos: 57





	1. Greetings,

**Author's Note:**

> This is connected to my fic titled "Forever yours," but can standalone though maybe it is best that you read that first.

Fleur loved her grandmother Celestine dearly, which is why she found herself standing in front of a quaint cottage of stone and wooden walls as per her final request. She was informed it belonged to her great-great-grandfather Jericho Lafitte who lived in the French alps raising cows and goats and making cheese for a living.

“My grandfather asked me to keep the cottage safe for the family,” she was told. “Lately, I’ve been having dreams about a memory from my early childhood of a request I was unable to fulfill.”

Fleur brought out the keys provided to her by the caretaker her family hired to keep the place intact as none of her family lived in the country anymore.

“There are two bedrooms in the house. Enter the one to the right and there should be a loose stone tile under the bed unless they moved the bed’s position. Under that tile, a wooden box filled with letters never sent that he kept remains”

She pulled the bed away from the corner of the room and got on her knees to shake the stone tiles with her hands to see if any of them moved. She found what she was searching for and hauled it up to discover a shallow hole with the box grandmother Celestine told her about. It was about the size of a lunchbox with an intricate carving of two carp fishes side by side on the top. Taking off the lid, she found a smaller box perched atop a stack of envelopes and a pouch that contained lilac wax sticks, a melting spoon, and a stamp. The smaller chest revealed itself to be a music box with the key carefully placed at the side.

She opened the first unsealed envelope at the top of the stack.


	2. Dear Senku,

_Dear Senku,_

_You have no idea how glad I am we met at that ball. It may have been intended for us to charm women that we wish to court in hopes of marriage in the future but if I may be so bold as to admit that I found our time together getting acquainted far more enjoyable than the time I spent wooing ladies on the dance floor. I must say that you, kind sir, are an incredibly bold and interesting man and I look forward to exchanging letters with you. I am thrilled to keep in touch with you especially after I was only invited to the ball hosted by Mr. Taiju Oki’s family because they heard that I was around town for a little show._

_I wish for us to be good friends and I ask that in your response, you tell me about the things you enjoy as well._

_I, of course as a magician, adore magic. You should come to see one of my shows some day, I would be delighted to have you in the audience and maybe get you on stage for a trick or two if you would allow yourself to entertain and be entertained. Certainly the magic I present are nothing but illusions supported by nothing but cunning techniques thought up by yours truly. Nonetheless, there is something quite enchanting with it whether or not you believe it to be true sorcery. Maybe it’s the way it makes one wonder how it’s done with either true incantations or science. I have heard from a couple of friends that you are well-known for your scientific prowess and I’d find it exhilarating if you were to figure out the truth behind my veil of deceptions._

_Aside from that, I love flowers. I have a garden where I grow various types that I like to give away during shows. Nothing warms my heart these days more than the smiling faces of the audience as some catch them midair. Although there is something deeper to the flowers than the eyes could see. I specialize too in floriography, you see. I make sure to give out flowers with bright colors and messages alike in hopes of having them leave my magical performances with positive feelings. My favorite flower to use in shows, however, is the black nightshade. They mean “liar” and at the end of the day, that is what I am._

_I look forward to receiving your response. I hope we can be good friends, Senku._

_Sincerely yours,_   
_Gen Asagiri_

What she found interesting and amusing was that this Gen figure seemed to have left himself a message at the bottom of the paper.

_You sound too excited, this is embarrassing._

Fleur could only guess that Mr. Gen Asagiri wrote and sent a new letter that wasn’t as forward. She wondered why her great-great-grandpa Jericho had these letters and what kind of relationship he had with Gen and Senku. She picked up the next letter.


	3. My dear friend,

_ My dear friend, _

__ __ _ I am departing for Europe in a week and will most probably be on a ship heading to Italy by the time you receive this. I'll be travelling to Singapore and if the winds and waters favor the vessel then I’ll have arrived by May 9th. Since I’ll be boarding the Djemnah on the 11th, I decided to have a show for one night as the opportunity was presented to me. I strangely find it saddening that this will be the last letter between us in a while as I am unsure if I will be able to send you letters while in Europe and I won't be receiving a reply from you for months until I return. _

__ __ _ I find it odd that the thought of not having a single letter from you for me to pore over before I leave saddens me. Then again, I have been having thoughts about you and your letters that cause me to feel such peculiar emotions that I am unable to decipher and it does nothing but frustrate me. _

__ __ _ Maybe being your friend was a mistake if a master of the mind like myself is having trouble unravelling the mystery of my own thoughts. _

__ __ _ I kid of course. _

__ __ _ Maybe I’ll send you a letter or two recounting what I’ve seen in Europe. I’ll be travelling _

The letter ended abruptly yet the note that followed made a smile creep onto her face.

__ __ _ A servant of the Ishigami household just showed up at my doorstep soaked in sweat and panting heavily. He told me that the young master ordered that the letter he presented to me was to be delivered at once and considering how it normally would take a week for letters from him to arrive, I pity this poor bloke who got it to me in a day. I skimmed through it the moment I ripped it out of its envelope when I closed the front door after sending him off with refreshments and it irks me that Senku managed to give me something to ponder while abroad as if he knew what was in my thoughts the moment I wrote it down on paper. However, I have to admit that my heart skipped with joy after knowing he decided to send me off with a letter after he caught wind of my upcoming trip. Though his offhanded admission of how he will miss our exchanges bothers me for some reason. _

__ __ _ I reread the message I have written and suppose it’d be improper of me to send this to him especially after what he has disclosed. I’ll make sure to give him something to think about as well in these following months. I wonder if I should tell him about these weird sensations in my chest but he would most probably demand I either visit him so he could assess me in person as descriptions would not be enough to give a solid diagnosis or that I see a doctor. _


	4. Beloved,

_Beloved,_

_Pardon me for the unusual salutation, I'll explain later. It’s been three months since I’ve arrived at the continent and have yet to send you a letter. I met two interesting men on the ship who made the voyage enjoyable. One is Mr. Jose Mercado who was travelling to Madrid to resume his studies and the other is Mr. Félix Lafitte who is a wanderer. He’s quite the nomad, going around with nothing but a large leather suitcase making money out of whatever errands and favors he takes wherever he is. He’ll be accompanying me throughout the rest of my stay in Europe and has become a dear friend these past three months. He now calls me Chuckaboo which I find silly but I don’t have the heart to dislike it. We parted ways with Mr. Jose Mercado in Naples, but we hope to meet him again in Madrid._

_To explain the salutation, it was Félix who suggested it._

_You see, he tried to kiss me._

_I pushed him away immediately and the moment I did, he smiled. He asked, “Did you not want to kiss a man or did you not want to kiss me?”_

_In your last letter, you said we are not dispassionate men, yet we rarely let our minds mingle with our hearts. I have been to countless balls, encountering numerous women however I have yet to court a single one with the intent of having her as my wife. You asked me if I have ever experienced a love so strong I was willing to give my life up to fight for it or if I think I ever will in my lifetime. You asked if men like us who are faithful to knowledge and logic would ever go far beyond reason for an emotion._

_I don't really know, but here I am writing to you and addressing you as ‘Beloved’, aren’t I?_

_I’m not completely sure yet, but I think I’m slowly understanding why I harbor strange feelings for you._

_Félix asked me if I pushed him away because I didn’t want to kiss another man or if I didn’t want to kiss him. When his face was getting closer to mine, my thoughts raced to you and suddenly, I didn’t want him or anyone else to press their lips against mine._

_All I could think of was you._

_Maybe your statement of missing me before I left bothered me because you mentioned it so casually. Like it didn’t mean much to you but those simple words made me excited to get back even when I hadn’t left yet._

_Greeting you as ‘Beloved’ doesn't phase me at all yet it makes the blood rush to my cheeks and my heart flutter in joy._

_I miss you so much._

_Sincerely yours,_  
_Gen_

_Have you gone mad?_

Fleur was sure there never was a Félix Lafitte in the family. If great-great-grandfather Jericho was hiding something, all she could do was read more to find out.


	5. My dearest, Senku,

_My dearest, Senku,_

_Five months. It’s been five long months since I’ve seen your face and after all this time I have stumbled upon answers to questions you and I have asked. In these five months with Félix who has been guiding me to find the truth by my side, I can conclude I’ve fallen in love with you, Senku. I was tipping forwards as you gave me a curt nod of acknowledgement at the ball with a smile and I started falling when we spoke over teas and cakes in the refreshments room being rebelling high society’s rules of conduct by rudely avoiding dancing with the women and using casual language in an extremely formal setting. The thing I find terrifying is, I am still falling for you deeper and deeper after every letter and this time apart only makes my heart fonder._

_While in Wales, I learned such a melancholic word that struck fear in my heart thinking about it and you. It’s hiraeth and it’s the wistful longing for a home you can never return to, no longer exists, or never was. The Welsh say it goes deeper than that as it is simply not a longing, it’s the ache that never leaves even if you are physically able to return because it’s not the same as to what it was to you. I don’t want you to be my hiraeth. I don’t want you to be someone I can only be with in my memories. I don’t want you to be a home that never was or that I can never return to. I want to hold you until the end of our eternity. I love you, and I don’t want to live with the regret of never telling you._

_Félix has a lover in Paris. I bore witness to intimate moments between them and seeing their intertwined fingers and gentle brushes of lips against cheeks. Watching them being so free with each other made me realize that I want to be free with you. I want to hold you in my arms when you feel dejected and I want to feel the warmth of your embrace when I need comfort. I want to wipe the tears from your face whenever you cry and I want to be there to cheer you on when you rise to new heights. I want your face to be the last thing I see at night and the first thing in the mornings._

_I don’t care if you reject me or if I get hurt. If it's you, I’d die a cruel death a thousand times over._

_I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. I hope this letter conveys it well._

_No, you deserve to hear all of these flowery words directly from me so you can be assured that these are not of those that grow wildly in the open fields only to wilt before they fully bloom._

_I hope to come home soon._

_Love,_  
_Gen  
_


	6. I Don't Want To Say Goodbye

Opening the next letter, Fleur was astounded at the time gap between this and the last one. The first one and the second had a seven month gap. Then the next letter which was the first from Europe was written three months later and then the confession letter was after two. This, however, was written five years after that.

_My beloved madman,_

_It’s been a fortnight since I’ve last seen you under the glow of the setting sun and since I watched you walk away into the darkness. ██████████ I can’t blame you for your decision. I can’t get mad at you, I have no right to. Five years ago you surprised me at the port when I got back home from my trip in Europe. When I saw you smiling on the wooden pier as I walked down the steps, I told myself there was no way I was going to ever let you go. That night when we went to a hidden pub to catch up I promised myself I’d never let that smile slip from your face because of me. When I told you “I love you” to your face for the first time with drunken blushes on our faces under the moonlight in that empty, silent cobblestone street and you insisted that I was drunk even when both of us each only had a glass of whiskey I told myself that I’d always be in love with you no matter what. ████████████████████_

_I still love you. I always will._

_That’s why I can’t blame you for leaving. ██████████_

_I love you, I really do, but I’m a spineless coward who feared the world. I was scared of what would have happened to us if we ever got caught. ████████████████████ I hate to say this but you made the right choice and we both know it. It was the right choice even if it was wrong for us. █████████████████████████████████████_

_I don’t want to say goodbye._

_I never wanted to say goodbye._

As she surveyed the letter, she picked out the details that she ignored in her haste to read when her interest piqued at the five year gap. Instead of Gen’s elegant, loopy cursive writing, the flow of his words were jagged and parts of the letter were heavily drenched with ink in an attempt to get rid of the words he had written down. Fleur could only presume that he regretted writing those down. The letters bled as the ink crept out in thin, vein-like patterns within faint, dried circles on paper. It took her awhile but she realized that the small spots of ruffled paper were most probably tear stains. She turned the paper and she found a note written in the same rough writing.

_You have no right to say those you fucking bastard. Everything is your fault._

_There is no one else to blame but you._

She could only wonder as to what kind of words were hiding behind large dashes of ink.


	7. I'm Empty Without You

_Dear Senku,_

_I told myself that I wouldn’t attend the wedding. When I received the invitation in the mail, I promptly fed it to the glowing embers that consumed it without sparing it so much as a second glance. For a moment, I resented you and Kohaku. I was bitter, thinking that both of you wanted to rub my misfortune in my face but of course, the two of you are the last people who would actually think that way. I didn’t want to go but, I knew it would haunt me at some point._

_I snuck in through the side doors of the church as I arrived the moment Kohaku was walking down the aisle as entering from the main entrance surely wouldn’t go unnoticed. She looked absolutely splendid in her white gown and her gorgeous smile made her even more radiant that even I couldn’t help but grin at the joy I felt seeing an angel in the flesh. You, on the other hand, looked devilishly handsome in your black suit although I wished you had done something with your hair for the occasion. But alas, it’s not my wedding. I was leaning behind one of the pillars close to the altar and a confession booth was conveniently hiding me from the guests. With Kohaku’s back facing me, all I could focus on was you. When the priest asked if anyone was against your union, it took all of my self-control to forever hold my peace. I could not remember how many times I wished it was me in front of you getting married instead. The flower selection was thoughtful too and I heard rumours that it was actually you who had chosen them. Peonies represent happy marriage so it’s understandable to see them as the main flower along with pink roses that speak of perfect happiness. So the small numbers of lilacs that serve as reminders of an old love inserted into the decorations are a small curiosity for me. I don’t want to assume, but it breaks my heart to know that you still think of me because I don’t deserve to be in your precious memories._

_I won’t lie. It hurts._

_It hurt so bad that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to the point of bleeding just so I wouldn’t make a sound during the ceremony. It hurt so bad that when I got home, I collapsed against the front door and stared at the ceiling. No thoughts, just pain. If I struggled to keep my ragged breaths silent in the cathedral, I struggled to breathe knowing that I had finally lost you forever._

_I already knew you were important to me, but losing you made me realize that you really became my everything._

_I’m sorry for breaking my promises._

_I’m sorry for breaking your heart._

_I wish I married you._

_I wish I was Gen Asagiri-Ishigami instead of just Gen Asagiri._

_I’m empty without you._

Fleur was not even surprised at splotches of bleeding ink that crept through the paper.


	8. Goodbye

_Dear Senku,_

_One_ _year, seven months, and four days. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve last seen you. That’s how long it’s been since the last time I’ll ever see you. You haven't seen me since the twilight of our heartache but I’ve been hearing stories of your new life. By now you’ve probably been able to do the math and zero down on the date I last saw you and reached the conclusion that it was your wedding day. I don’t know if you saw even a glimpse of me in the shadows of the giant pillars and brushed it off as a trick by your mind but I was there. I may have broken most of my promises when I failed to fight for you, but I’m still holding on to the ones I can save from breaking such as being there for you through the important times in your life. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your face but I can still vividly see you every time I close my eyes._

_Two_ _years, four months, and nineteen days. That’s how long it’s been since we broke up. It’s been so long since you left me but the crushing weight of the pair of rings hanging from the chain around my neck remains as heavy as my heart. These past two years have all been a blur to me. I no longer find satisfaction and joy in my magic shows that I have been passionately pouring my soul into ever since I was a young boy. They’ve lost the enchantment that held my fascination captive. They’ve turned into nothing more but extravagant performances of lies. My flower garden, although I used to water and care for them everyday, have grown limp and don’t bloom like they used to and I’ve given up on them. There’s nothing in my garden but dead flowers and dried leaves._

_Congratulations on your first born. I hope he grows well but if he has you and Kohaku raising him, I have no doubt he will turn out to be a fine man someday._

_I miss you. I miss you so much. I miss your laugh, your smile, your scent, your warmth, everything._

_I’m leaving soon._

_Remember seven years ago I went on a trip to Europe and met Félix? Three years after, I bought a little cottage in the French Alps with his help. I purchased it with the intent of escaping with you there someday. Where we could start over, just the two of us, and spend the rest of our lives together. However, after a cruel turn of events, I’ll be escaping and starting anew alone. Along with this letter will be several others addressed to you that I have never sent. I’m exhausted, Senku. I have lost the will to hold onto the gift I was given when I let out my first cries in the world but I wouldn’t want to burden you with grave news and I know you would never wish it upon me. There’s so much I want to say but I don’t know how to put it down into words to make you understand. I don’t know what else more to say._

_Maybe I’ll see you next time._

_Goodbye,_   
_Gen Asagiri_

_He deserves better than this_

Fleur wondered what letter he sent instead.


	9. Take care, old friend,

Fleur was quick to notice that the writing on the envelope was not Gen’s and the address was the address of the cottage she was in right now. According to Gen in his last letter, he told nobody of his departure and nobody would know of his whereabouts so she wondered who sent it. Upon opening the envelope, a neatly ripped piece of paper peeked out.

**Performer Magician Asagiri Gen Has Vanished Into Thin Air**

She skimmed through the article and then decided to read the letter.

_ Dear Gen, _

__ _ First of all, do not panic as I have no intention to inform anyone of where you’ve fled. I’m in the alps visiting an acquaintance regarding a business proposal when I thought I spotted a familiar face in the marketplace one sunny morning. I did not follow you home if that’s what you’re thinking but the vendors mentioned that they get their cheese from an Asian man who lives on a certain hill. I hesitated at first, especially when they called you by a different name but I knew you’d be smart enough to have your name changed if you were escaping from your old life. I just didn’t think you’d choose that.  _

__ _ I didn’t know a nobleman’s son was capable of concocting such delightful cheese. _

__ _ Everyone is doing their own things although they do miss you and still wonder where you’ve gone.  _

__ _ Senku is doing well with Kohaku. I can tell they’re happy together but I can also tell that he doesn’t look at her the way he looked at you. Your secrets are safe with me. I was unsure of whether to pay you a visit or not since I didn’t want to scare you by suddenly showing up so I decided to send you a letter instead. Since I’m nearby I’ll still probably be in France when you receive this and I hope we can meet up and talk which is why I’m keeping this letter short. _

__ _ Of course, we don’t have to if it is not what you wish. I understand. _

__ _ I hope you’re doing well. _

_Take care, old friend,_   
_Tsukasa Shishio_


	10. Sorry I Wrote,

_Dear Senku,_

_It’s been a little over three years since I’ve left Japan and started a new life here in France. I’ve been hearing good news about you although all of them have only been about your scientific breakthroughs. I wonder how you’re really doing and how life has been. I said I wouldn’t write again yet I couldn’t help but do so even if I know you’d never see this letter. Life does have its own ways of surprising us, doesn’t it? Out of everyone I had expected to find me even by chance, Tsukasa was never on the top of the list. Had I seen him in my earlier days as a farmer I would have hidden from him, but I’m doing better now. The pain of our destinies still make my heart ache and cause tears to well up in my eyes but I’m happier than I was two years ago._

_It was refreshing to see and talk with an old friend over tea like how it used to be. He entertained me with stories of how everyone has been doing. It felt good to be able to laugh again with a friend._

_I’ve been doing well here. Félix and Clovis visit me sometimes. Oh, I also changed my name and Félix was more than happy to let me take his last name since it made me a part of his family. I go by Jericho Lafitte now, I wonder if you know what it means but I doubt you’re interested in name meanings. I raise goats and sell their milk and make cheese to get by. It’s a simple livelihood, but I live a simple life now and frankly, I enjoy it. A life so far from my old one of blinding lights and deafening cheers and overwhelming riches and luxuries. The gentle caress of the breeze in the hills is soothing and although the goats can get loud sometimes, I’ve learned to enjoy their company. I never really told you about my new home, have I? It was supposed to be a surprise for you but you never got to see it. I have a small flower garden on the front and I have plants hanging over the front door and the front window as well. The front porch and the roof are made of dark oak wood while strong, white stone bricks make the walls. The bedroom window arguably has the most beautiful view of the rolling hills and the wind often blows in from there as well but it can be problematic in the winter. It’s not a large house but it’s cozy. I wanted to live here with you. I still think about you everyday._

_I don’t really know what else to say. Every time I think of talking to you I can conjure a million things I want to say but when I try to put them down on paper, it remains as blank as my mind in the moment._

_I want to talk to you again._

_I miss you._

_I love you._

_Sorry I wrote,_   
_Gen_


	11. I Wish You Were Here,

_ Dear Senku, _

__ _ I am a father now. _

__ _ No, she’s not my child by blood. Six months ago, I found a woman passed out on my front porch. Her name was Adrienne. She was three months pregnant by then and she ran away from her husband who her family married her off to for political reasons. I provided her shelter and hid her from search parties because she didn’t want to go back to an abusive spouse. I loved her like a little sister and helped her throughout the rest of her pregnancy. She wasn’t able to survive childbirth. _

__ _ I wonder if this was the same feeling you got when you held little Byakuya in your arms for the first time. I never realized that somebody could be this small. When her tiny hand wrapped around my finger, I knew that I was falling in love all over again. My heart broke once more when I heard her cry so much even when I knew it’s normal for infants. I remember saying in the last letter I sent you that I’m not sure if anyone could ever pick up my broken pieces and put me back together. Well, she just grabbed my finger but I feel like she’s put me back together in an instant. The little tufts of hair on her little head are as dark as the night and her eyes. Oh, Senku, her eyes resemble yours so much I started crying when she opened them for the first time. Sparkling ruby doe eyes filled with so much innocence. She’s so beautiful, Senku. _

__ _ I’m filled to the brim with emotions that I’m writing a letter to you that will never get sent but I know I’ll be okay from now on. _

__ _ Since it’s quite common for people to have more than one given name here in France, I gave her two. _

__ _ My daughter’s name is Diana Hikaru Lafitte. _

_I wish you were here,_   
_Gen_


	12. I Miss Your Smiles,

_ Dear Senku, _

__ _ Who would have thought I’d cry in public upon seeing you after fourteen years. I heard that an esteemed scientist from Japan would be coming to Paris to present his inventions to the European public and I immediately had to know if it was you. When I was able to confirm that this brilliant mind was indeed Senku Ishigami, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go see you, really. I was scared. I was so, so afraid to know it was you but looking back, days after, I can no longer remember what exactly I was terrified of. Hikaru, although only eleven years of age, managed to convince me to get out of the house and she also somehow was able to get in touch with Félix and Clovis who sent for a carriage to pick us up at once. She’s such an intelligent and smart young lady that I sometimes wonder where she got it from. _

__ _ Félix and Clovis provided us a place to stay while we were in Paris and as they took Hikaru around the city, I went on my way to see you.  _

__ _ It’s funny. I am an old man already turning forty-two next year and yet I still feel like a lovesick boy with wild butterflies in my stomach whenever I see you. There you were on an elevated space with a table where various contraptions you’ve created were laid out. I was hoping to see you with a full beard and mustache but a short stubble suits you well. You resemble your father with it. Speaking of your father, seeing young Byakuya Jr. next to you on stage made me realize how much time has passed since our youth. I can say he’s growing into being a dashing young man with your bi-colored hair (that he thankfully grooms neatly, unlike his father) and his mother’s beautiful eyes and charming smile. Hearing you speak with so much pride and excitement kept me smiling throughout your whole presentation and my face still hurts until now. I was feeling so much joy I failed to realize when exactly I had started crying. Seeing your smile after more than a decade felt like finding an oasis in a desert after months of suffering. I wonder if you saw me because I swear that we locked eyes for a moment. I wonder if you felt the same exhilarating rush I did when I stared into your eyes. Looking into them, even for a brief moment, made me understand they’re still the same fiery eyes that looked into mine when you told me you loved me for the first time and are the same ones that were filled with tears when you said that you loved me for the last time with a goodbye. It also made me realize that even after all this time, I still unconditionally love the person behind those smiling eyes. _

__ _ Can you believe it, Senku? Even after eighteen years, I am still truly, madly, and deeply in love with you, my beloved madman. _

_I miss your smiles,_   
_Gen_


	13. I'll See You Soon,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People usually make playlists for some of their fics but honestly just one song that I know comes to mind for this fic and that's 'Lifetime' by Ben&Ben, please go give it a listen because I think it fits perfectly with this fic (the band actually dropped the song when I was writing the part of this fic where we shifted from happy to angst so I was so happy at that coincidence lmao)

_ Beloved madman, _

__ _ As I lay on my bed, staring out the window and watching the swaying grass as the gentle breeze playfully pushes them around, I contemplate my life and my nearing death. I don’t feel weak at all but I feel like my end drawing near. I am not afraid, however, I am at peace with the coming of the knocking of Death and I wait for him patiently. _

__ _ There was so much I wasn’t able to tell you but it is too late to chase the ghosts of the past. I cannot expect much closure with talking to a dead man, can I? Which is why I’m keeping this letter short despite the ocean of words that I would want to let out. There is no use in pouring my heart into a piece of paper that you would never have the chance to read. _

_ Do you remember forty-two years ago when I traveled to Europe to perform and I realized that I loved you more than I thought I ever could? We passed through Wales and there I learned of the word hiraeth and what it meant although I am not sure if I was able to fully grasp its meaning.  _

_ "You are my hiraeth, and maybe next time, I'd find my way home." is what I would often think when I thought of you after our separation. As time passed by and I grew wiser and learned to let go of all my regrets in life, I changed that train of thought.  _

_ You are my hiraeth, and this time, I'll fight tooth and nail to come back home. _

__ _ I’ll see you soon. _

_ Love,  
Your mentalist _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more short bit and its almost done! To everyone who has been leaving comments I'd like to apologize for not replying to every single one because I'd say the same thing (which is thank you) and I didnt want it to seem insincere for its repetitive nature but I read all of them and they always bring a smile to my face. Thank you for your kind words and I hope that I am able to please you until the last chapter (which is soon since this is a fic with shorter chapters)


	14. P.S. I Can't Wait to Spend Forever With You

Fleur walked briskly along the cement sidewalk as she passed by people going on with their daily lives. The sun was high in Tokyo and the warmth of its rays kissed her skin, protecting her from the cold gusts of wind. She cancelled her flight back to Canada and booked a ticket to Japan instead immediately after she finished reading all of great-great-grandfather Gen’s letters. She thanked the heavens for the existence of the internet as it served as her guide for locating Senku Ishigami’s resting place and she thanked Senku himself for making himself an unforgettable figure in the world of Science which resulted in numerous articles about him which made her hunt way too easy. She arrived at the cemetery and placed the stack of letters on his grave in a tall baking pan she bought in a Daiso store and lit them on fire just as grandmother Celestine had asked her to do on her deathbed.

“I hope both of you are happy now,” she prayed as she took one last look at the only photograph she was sure Gen owned. Two men sitting on a bench with flowering plants behind them. Due to their close positions, Fleur couldn’t see it well but she could guess that they were discreetly holding hands. She threw the photo into the fire as well and watched the smoke rise to the skies. When they had all been reduced to ashes, she let the wind whisk them away.

She returned to the streets, making her way back to her hotel when she accidentally bumped into a stranger amidst the rushing crowd. They asked her something in Japanese and she could only assume that they were asking her if she was alright going by the gentle tone used by the speaker.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. She glanced at his left hand that he drew back after patting her shoulder and noticed the shining band on his ring finger. “Sorry, I don’t speak a lot of Japanese but are you okay too?” Her breath hitched as she finally took a look at the man she bumped into and was met with crimson eyes and a familiar face she first saw only a day ago etched carefully with intricate details in charcoal strokes on a piece of paper preciously tucked in an envelope.

“Yes, I’m alright,” he replied. She heard another person exclaim something in Japanese and when she turned, she could not help but let a smile grow on her face. The man bid her goodbye and wished her a good day before approaching the other man who wore an identical ring on his left hand. She felt the tears slip down her face as she watched them hold each other’s hand as they walked away.

_ ‘Welcome home.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so comes the end of the Love, Gen series. Thank you for staying until the end and I hope this little fic was able to provide you comfort in any way it could❤Thank you for all the comments and kind words and I apologize for not replying to most of them since all I would be able to offer in return would be words of thanks and I do not want to come off insincere with repetitive gratitude but please be assured that I do read ALL of them and I appreciate every single one💕
> 
> I hope this ending brought you satisfaction.
> 
> Thanks for reading!:>


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